I'm pretty close to getting a really quiet system put together at this point (punched out case grills, L1As, etc). But... recently I got a Built by ATI 9800 Pro. I've discovered that the majority of the remaining noise from my system is due to this one component.

To fix this, I've got two options: 1) Try to sell the card for cash, then spend about $375 for the Sapphire 9800 Pro Ultimate, or 2) Buy the new Zalman HP, install it, then rig up a L1A fan above it to help with the cooling.

Obviously, option 1 would be more expensive, even if I can recoup most of the original cash spent, while option 2 would violate the lovely 3-year warranty. I would like to know who has had experience installing the ZM80C-HP, and was it difficult? Did you wind up having problems with the card later? (Like dying?).

I've installed it on a 9500. (not the same card but functionally identical in terms of the HSF)

Installing is more complicated than most HSF's, but Zalman includes good directions. They even include the screwdriver you need. Just take your time and follow the directions. I actually enjoyed assembling it.

As for cooling abilities: Ati cards don't have a way of reading the core temp, but since I put the Zalman on I can overclock the card higher, and 3D games crash less. I'm assuming that both those things mean it actually cools better than stock.

As for your warranty: If the card dies, just put your stock HSF back on before you RMA it! The Zalman is completely reversible. There'd be no way of knowing that it was even there.

Okay, another question... IF I get the heatpipe, how much thermalpaste do you put on? I'm thinking about using some leftover Arctic Ceramique, is that okay, or is it better for some reason to use the stuff that comes with the heatpipe? Also, how thick should it be? Pasty? Or a really thin layer like when putting thermal paste onto a CPU when putting on a new heatsink?

Okay, another question... IF I get the heatpipe, how much thermalpaste do you put on? I'm thinking about using some leftover Arctic Ceramique, is that okay, or is it better for some reason to use the stuff that comes with the heatpipe? Also, how thick should it be? Pasty? Or a really thin layer like when putting thermal paste onto a CPU when putting on a new heatsink?

Although GamingGod is of course correct regarding the use of thermal material in general (especially when installing CPU's), be aware that Zalman advises using plenty of thermal paste when installing their heatpipe video coolers. This is because the GPU is frequently not true-flat and you must use an extra-large amount of paste on the GPU to insure heat-conductivity with their cooler assembly.

Using too little paste on the GPU and/or pipe has been the most common reason for users having trouble with the Zalman heatpipe video coolers. Which kind of paste really doesn't matter when installing this cooler, just as long as you use plenty of it in all the locations where the instructions tell you to apply it.

"paste should always be just enough to fill in the microscopic gaps between the 2 surfaces"

When it comes to GPU cooling, the gap is certainly macroscopic- many GPUs are slightly concave, and furthermore some Radeons have a ridge around the side of the GPU that sits higher than the GPU (the Zalman manual describes this in some detail).

So just to reiterate what's been said, use A LOT of thermal compound. Then, after you apply the thermal compound and install the GPU block, remove the GPU block to verify that the whole GPU and base of the block were coated with thermal compound. Then put the GPU block back on and finish installing it.

I didn't apply enough thermal compound when I installed it on my Ti4200, then my mouse started lagging a lot. Then I ran 3DMark2001 and my score was about 30% lower than normal. I uninstalled the Zalman cooler and saw that the GPU block had barely made contact with the GPU. Now I have a half dead Ti4200.

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